The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1887-09-15
MARY JAMES TRAVELS.
shs aud DIekey Have Done with
Switzerland

| FFHAUsES Aug SD.-Ihls IS our
last stopping place in Switzerland, and am
sorry. because Switzerland is the most de
llightful country in Europe We came in
away down yonder on the Simplon, next
door 10 Italy. and now we 20 out INTO Ter
many, and our trip hither has been Won
derful panorama, moving by day and walt
ing for Us by night The mighty mountains
never grow older the SHOWS are as white,
the Alpine roses as red, and the grizzled faces
IF the rocks, with their bear,is of moss, are as
grim and gray as they were 800 years ago,
when the Romans came this way and wrote
letters back to Rome Just As We western
| Romans are doing now, and as their preds
ces,ors Of 500 years did before them
! We came up to Schaifhauseu 70 SEQ the
I Falls of the Rhine Schaifbausen Is a kind II
a falls parasite That is to say. nobody, who
! i ANYBODY. would be likely TO come 10
Schaffhausen unless the falls were here, and
/ II She did. she'd he sorry for t. The falls
are two miles below town. aud We walked
/ there in the evening 10 see them illuminated.
/ The night was favorable, and with the lights
I PLAYING on the dashing waters the effect was
] beautiful. but we had seen Gie,sbach by
night. and when one has seen that other
linuminatcns are entirely secondary.
Much more attractive than the falls illumi-
nation was the illumination by electric light
II the ancient castle Of Laufen, on the crags
above the water The castle looks like &
picture any way, and when the powerful
light was thrown ON it from the farther
shore IL stood out against the shadows OF the
night exactly as II IL We're on the screen OF
a magic lantern. ami to US, sitting quarter
If mile away, the effect was so peculiar
that DO not hesitate 10 recommend IL 10 all
who may read these lines
BUT Giessbach Fails, on Lake Brienz are
the fall. to see by candle light There the
water comes down 200 feet Ia seven falls
iud six of them are fired every night
The lights are in front. behind and al the
sides OF the cataracts, and when they begin
70 change color, aud streams Of red aud blue
and green and white come pouring out Of
the mountain side far up and tumbiing
iOwn. the scene according to the best
authorities "beggars description But there
is no. rose without its thorn. and the thorn in
this case is the good looking blonde bear who
conducts the only hotel ~ Giessbach, and
whose papa owns the falls and all that apper-
taius thereto had q row with him. not SEE
much over his charges az over bis general
style Of monopOlstic Independence, and the
next time ! c0 t0 Gie,sbach, If be- Is there. I'm
leave on the very next boat II there IS any
thing I do despise it is a man a woman
can't get along with-or without.
] haven't climbed many mountains in
switzerland because 10 isall can 10 20 climb
the stairs u these eeyatoress hotels, but
have crossed nearly every lake in the entire
country The diversified style Of travel here
demands &C. 4 traveller cant 20 fifty miles ia
Switzerland, don't believe without putting
into use every known mode Of transportation
except the balloon, and / am going to intro
luce that next year ] shall organize the
Mont Blanc and Chamounx Air line, raise
enough money in America 70 get the engi-
ueers 90 work. set the boom 20 going. and at
the proper time sell out at high figure. just
rs the men DO, then e and have fuu On the
proceeds also just as the men DO
But the road will he built, and the way IL
viii be done viii be 20 lay A wire rope from
Chamounix, right along up the mountains,
across the rocks and snow 90 the summit of
Mont Blanc making 1t fast at each end and
then attaching q captive balloon u would
20 % the other end Of the string in spite -
everything aud 70 would be easy enough 20
pull 10 back again. BY my balloon route the
ascent 0f Mont Blanc will be- q simple. safe.
inexpensive pleasure. and viii entirely OBJ
ylate the necessity Of a three days climb oyer
donkeys precipicss and fee fields, and will 10
great extent ameliorate the condition Of
those adventurous persons, mostly English
men. who feel 10 10 be- their gospel duty %
Ike a t0boggau slide or about fourteen
miles Of mountainous decliyity and land at
the bottom d totally uurecoguIable mess
u bones, baggage and blood. II anybody
wants to take stock ia the new air line, the
books will be- open Jan. l.
saw a barefo0ted boy yesterday aud have
felt better ever since ! thought the crop
had been destroyed this year or something
Possibly We are little early, and il is not
quite ripe yet ANY way, | have been MOTTO
ing all along the way, in French and Italian
cities an3 / can't recall any baret00ted chill
dreu but can recall seeing very many boys
and girls VI the barefoot age i'm Rome and
Naples wearing heavy shoes and stockings.
Ftfttf tHN f'ttfaftttf't ~ tAts NtftHtfi2 hff-
peared % suffer that shoes and stockings
might thrive tried TO find out about this
unusual state OF children's feet from tire
guides but they had been SO busy studying
ancient ruins and ma jestic art that they had
all overlooked thi. one little bit II aature,
which none ot us ever see without bringing
back
The memory u chiidhoods days,
When all of us could feel
The pleasure OF a sore toe
or stone brulse on the heel
have been studying mountains lately, and
DO think. next after man, mountain is
the most deceptive thing ia nature. An
amateur 300 mountains as am, can form no
just idea Of these stupendous formations. and
she is very slow 70 learn. Distance seems %
Boz out ot the count, and q real big mountain
shows up about as well, if not better. 40
tweHl y-fiye miles distance than II DOES at 100
yards, aud when one thinks .he will take "A
little run over 20 the mountain side aud en-
JOS pleasant climb. she finds she has 10 start
the day before and cross half dozen inter
yening ranges of hills and valleys as pre-
iimmary o. the actual business. did that
at FIRST but / don't do 1t any more, and
yet am not acquainted with the noun
tains Coming over one Of the Alpine passes